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Unqualified staff should be recruited to play a greater role working with people who have mental health problems, says a new report, writes Anabel Unity Sale.

The document, from the workforce action team set up by the government to examine the implications of the mental health national service framework, calls for fundamental changes in the way the workforce is organised.

One of its key recommendations is the creation of 'support, time, recovery workers' (STR), an entirely new grade of staff who could provide mental health service users with "companionship, friendship, regular and practical support".

STRs are also expected to promote independent living among users and help them gain access to services and resources such as housing advice, employment, complementary therapies or intensive short-term interventions.

The new initiative would, according to the report, increase recruitment of people from a variety of backgrounds into the sector and free up the time and workloads of social workers and other qualified professionals.

The report states: "We expect STR workers either to have a small caseload with intensive activity or a large caseload of more general support depending on the service setting and user need."

David Joannides, a member of the action team and Dorset director of social services, told Community Care: "Establishing the STRs will give an extra dimension to the workforce that has not been explored before."

He said STR workers could be one way of establishing longer-term relationships with users of mental health services: "The one commodity teams at the moment do not have to give to people with mental health problems is time. STRs could provide contact, time and friendship and... more specialised support to help people."

He added: "If we use the STR workforce responsibly they can provide support to approved social workers and community practice nurses."

But Joannides warned that a STR workforce was not "a soft option" and had to be developed sensibly and responsibly.

He said: "If we try to create a new workforce without addressing issues of training, skills, supervision and ensuring the level of responsibilities we are asking them to assume are commensurate with their abilities it will not work. If we get this right it can be a way of improving services, if not we are into risks and STRs could lose credibility."

Other recommendations in the report include establishing a senior practitioner mental health social work grade to stem the flow of ASWs going into management.

It says: "The overall shortage of ASWs and the limited incentives to retain ASW status encourage some of the most competent practitioners to pursue their careers in management. Hard-won skills are then lost to practice."

Chairperson of the workforce action team Sue Hunt writes in report: "I believe that under the direction of the WAT an excellent foundation has been laid to take forward what is a complex and inter locking set of issues affecting workforce, education and training."

• The final report by the workforce action team from www.doh.gov.uk/mentalhealth/wat.htm#report